11 May The cigar has always been the first refuge of the fat cat so it may not be a good look to be caught puffing on a Cuban while busy flying kites about the budget and telling Australians it is their patriotic duty to share the pain.

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12 May It's budget eve and MPs are descending on Canberra for the first sitting week since March. Parliament does not sit today, but there is a surplus of royal commissions in its place. In Sydney, the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance kicks off, while in Brisbane, former Labor minister Mark Arbib fronts the Royal Commission into Rudd's Home Insulation Program.

12 May Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has ramped up pressure on Prime Minister Tony Abbott's pledge to be a leader who keeps his promises, as the government prepares to reveal its first federal budget.